The Norwegian Embassy in Lusaka requested
Norad and the Regional Swedish-Norwegian HIV and AIDS-team to do a joint
gender and HIV/AIDS mainstreaming review , to see how gender and AIDS concerns
could be better mainstreamed in the Embassy portfolio. Four different programmes
were selected for the review, covering important areas for the embassy
development cooperation in Zambia;

This annual report describes bilateral development cooperation between Norway and 30 of the countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East that received the most assistance in 2007. Norwegian development assistance totalled NOK 21.8 billion in 2007. Of this amount, bilateral assistance (including multi-bilateral assistance) accounted for NOK 15.7 billion.

The government presented Fighting Poverty
through Agriculture, its new Plan of Action for Agricultural Development
in Development Policy, on 18 May. Under the plan, assistance to agricultural
development will be scaled up considerably. The plan sets out 50 measures
for promoting agricultural development in developing countries.

"Three-quarters of the world's
poor live in rural areas, and most of them have farming as their livelihood.
Thus improving conditions in this sector is a central tool in the fight
against poverty.

Minister of International Development
Hilde F. Johnson has decided to allocate an additional NOK 20 million to
efforts to help those affected by the drought in southern Africa. Since
January 2002 Norway has contributed NOK 275 million to alleviate the drought
in Africa (the Horn of Africa and southern Africa).

"The new allocation will be used
to continue food programmes being carried out by UNICEF, Save the Children
and Norwegian People's Aid.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Ministry of Defence and the Norwegian Red Cross are cooperating with the
UN to help the starving in southern Africa. Norwegian support consists
of an allocation of NOK 19 million from the Foreign Ministry, 200 vehicles
from the defence establishment and extensive voluntary assistance in Norway
and abroad by the Red Cross.

"Southern Africa is facing an extremely
serious food crisis," said Minister of International Development Hilde
F. Johnson.